Co-organised by Urban Spring and DBS Bank (HK), the “Live well, Plastic less” project involved sponsoring large-scale outdoor activities and setting up Well井 smart water stations at various merchant locations to promote refillable water bottle usage and reduce plastic waste in Hong Kong.
Recently, the project culminated successfully with a total of 83,000 single-use plastic bottles ‘saved’. Helen Chan of Urban Spring and Amy Wu, Head of Group Strategic Marketing and Communications of DBS (HK), share their journey over the past 18 months below.
Helen: Amy, could you tell us about DBS’s motivation behind supporting the “Live well, Plastic less” project?
Amy: Plastic waste is leaving a huge negative impact on our environment, with over 6 million single-use plastic bottles being dumped into our landfill every day. As a purpose-driven bank, DBS is committed to walking the extra mile and joining hands with ecosystem champions to promote environmental protection. Urban Spring‘s Well井 is the perfect solution for minimising the consumption of single-use bottled water.
Helen: The Covid-19 pandemic made it really challenging for us.
Amy: It did! It is a pity that many activities were cancelled because of the pandemic. However, instead of giving up, Urban Spring persevered by sourcing for different partners and locations for Well 井.
Helen: We managed to ‘save’ over 83,000 bottles by the end of the project – are you happy with the result?
Amy: We are excited! Knowing that a plastic bottle takes over 450 years to decompose, we hope to have lessened some of the harm that has been inflicted on the environment. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the teams from DBS and Urban Spring for all their hard work.
Ultimately, our success would not have been possible without the support of our partners, who have shared their thoughts with us below:
Charlz，Hybrid Group Asia “Wellness does not just refer to one’s physical health alone. It is also about being responsible for the welfare of society.”
Dora, Slowood “We hope that more people will step up to adopt a more environmentally conscious lifestyle, which can be simple, down-to-earth and even stylish!”
Quinn, ATMA Fitness Center “It has been encouraging to see the numbers rise every time we use Well井, which has been a good way for us to show our support and save the environment.”
Kieron, AQ Strong “Drinking a lot of water does not just support your physical body. It is also a way to Live Well, Move Free and Perform Better.”
Cherry, Cocoon HK “Well井 is a local smart IoT product that solves a social problem in an innovative way, which is good inspiration for many startups and students.”
Rebecca, Seaside BBQ Paradise “There is a cost to the environment for every social activity, but we strive to achieve a balance between personal enjoyment and environmental responsibility with Well井, one of the many “green” solutions at our BBQ site.”